Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

The Disciples of James Dean, a small town James Dean fan club, planned to meet at the Woolworth’s five and dime store in McCarthy, Texas on the twentieth anniversary of his death. On that date, September 30th, 1975, shop owner Juanita (Sudie Bond, Silkwood), welcomes the two remaining club members in town—Sissy (Cher, Moonstruck) and Mona (Sandy Dennis, That Cold Day In the Park)—to her shop for the memorial. As other out of town members arrive, so does the mysterious Joanne (Karen Black, Nashville). Through one long, hot day, The Disciples of James Dean unravel the mysteries, discuss the events and reconcile the truths of the past twenty years.

Adapted for the screen by Ed Graczyk from his stage play of the same name, Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was the first of many stage-to-screen adaptations directed by Robert Altman (including his next three feature films: Streamers, Secret Honor and Fool for Love). Altman, having directed the Broadway show of Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, brought his stage cast back for the film adaptation, all reprising their Broadway roles, with Kathy Bates (Misery), Marta Heflin (A Perfect Couple) and Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge) rounding out the ensemble. One of the great American films of the 1980s, Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is a bittersweet ode to nostalgia, small town life and friendship while also featuring groundbreaking trans representation in Karen Black’s portrayal of Joanne. Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K UHD debut of Robert Altman’s oft-overlooked slice of Americana in a new restoration from its original camera negatives.

In a small-town dime store in West Texas, the “Disciples of James Dean” gather for their 20th reunion. Now middle-aged women, they were teenagers when Dean filmed Giant two decades ago in nearby Marfa. One of them, an extra in the film, has a child whom she says was conceived with Dean during the shoot. The ladies’ congenial reminiscences mingle with flashbacks to their youth; then the arrival of a stunning-but-familiar stranger sets off a series of confrontations that smash their delusions and expose bitter disappointments.

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was first produced by Players Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, in September 1976. The production was directed by the author. The play then made its professional premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 1977, directed by Fred Chappell, starring Dana Ivey and Fannie Flagg. The Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on February 18, 1982, and was directed by renowned filmmaker Robert Altman, starring Cher, Kathy Bates, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis.